| |
| AT last he came unto a gloomy glade, | |
| Cover’d with boughes and shrubs from heaven’s light, | |
| Where as he sitting found in secret shade | |
| An uncouth salvage and uncivile wight, | |
| Of griesley hew and fowle ill-favour’d sight: | 5 |
| His face with smoke was tand, and eies were bleard, | |
| His head and beard with sout were ill bedight, | |
| His cole-blacke hands did seem to have beene seard | |
| In smythe’s fire-spitting forge, and nayles like clawes appeard. | |
| |
| His yron cote, all overgrowne with rust, | 10 |
| Was underneath enveloped with gold; | |
| Whose glistring glosse, darkned with filthy dust, | |
| Well yet appeared to have beene of old | |
| A worke of rich entayle and curious mould, | |
| Woven with antickes and wyld ymagery: | 15 |
| And in his lap a masse of coyne he told, | |
| And turned upside downe, to feede his eye | |
| And covetous desire with his huge threasury. | |
| |
| And round about him lay on every side | |
| Great heapes of gold that never could be spent; | 20 |
| Of which some were rude oure, not purifide | |
| Of Mulciber’s devouring element; | |
| Some others were new driven, and distent | |
| Into great ingowes and to wedges square; | |
| Some in round plates withouten moniment: | 25 |
| But most were stampt, and in their metal bare | |
| The antique shapes of Kings and Kesars straung and rare. | |
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